Bathtub fixture



Jan. 30, 1934. M. P. DOYLE BATHTUB FIXTURE Filed Aug. 24, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY W ATTOR EYS M. P. DOYLE BATHTUB' FIXTURE Jan. 30, 1934.

Filed Aug. 24, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W V V M 7- M ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and arrangement of fixtures for bath tubs.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement, construction and combination of parts comprising a fixture for bath tubs which will eliminate any substantially projecting part of the fixture extending from the inside of the tub, and which will thus avoid the possibility of accident occurring to a user of the tube by reason of striking the fixture, in the event said user should fall or slip in the tube while bathing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fixture for a bath tub which is so constructed that it will produce a more rapid inflow and outflow of the water used in the tub.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fixture for a bath tub which will permit the retention of water in the tub and allow the outflow thereof without the employment of a removable stopper.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fixture for a bath tub which is so arranged and operated that it is impossible to have the waste pipe open when water is flowing into the tub.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bath tub fixture that will permit a completely sanitary use of the tub at all times because of the novel construction and arrangement of the parts for permitting the inflow and outflow of water to and from the tub.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fixture for a bath tub which is inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to apply to any standard style of tub without making any new openings in the walls thereof.

Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side. elevational view of a fixture constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention and shown as applied to a usual type of bath tub, the tub being indicated in section;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1, taken on the line 22 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the mechanism employed in my improved bath tub fixture for controlling the. inflow and outflow of water to the tub;

Figure 4 is an elevational sectional View of the device shown in Figure 3, taken on the line 4--4 in said figure;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the part of the fixture which is mounted on the inside of the tub and which limits the inflow and outfiow of f the water therein.

Like symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of the figures of the drawings.

As illustrated in the drawings, 1 represents a bath tub having the usual water discharge orifice 1 2, located at the bottom thereof. Fitted into the opening 2 is the supply and discharge connection forming part of my improved fixture. Said connection is provided with a cap portion 3 which projects over the part thereof which is and from the tub. The supply and discharge connection is provided with a portion 6 which is adapted to be fitted into the opening 3 of the tub and to have a tight fit therein. Below the portion 6 there is provided an exteriorly threaded portion 7 which is adapted to receive a nut 8 (shown in Figure 1) so that said connection may be securely fastened to the tub. Below the threaded portion 7 there is provided a reduced exteriorly threaded portion 9 which is adapted to receive thereon a standard two inch T connection a which is provided with an inch and one half branch connection. In Figures 1 and 2 the T connection is indicated generally at 10 and the branch at 11.

The T connection in turn is connected with the waste pipe 12 and the branch pipe 11 is connected with the hot and cold water supply pipes 13 and 14.

The opening andclosing of the valves 16 and 17 are controlled by mechanism shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. This mechanism comprises a spindle 18 having a tapered upper end 19 on which is mounted a handle 20. The handle 20 is secured to the tapered end of the spindle by a nut 21. The lower end of the spindle 18 is formed with a reduced fiat end 22, and the intermediate part of the spindle is formed with the fiat portion 28.

The spindle is mounted in a support 29 which may be secured in any suitable manner to the bath tub. Said spindle has associated therewith the following parts; mounted on support 29 is the top plate 23. The top plate 23 is provided with a slot 24 having enlarged circular openings 25 and 26 at each end thereof. The slot 24 is adapted to receive the fiat portion 28 of the spindle 18 so that said spindle may be moved back and forth in said slot and towards and from the openings 25 and 26.

The plate 23 is provided with bolts 28a which are positioned with respect thereto so that they extend downwardly from the lower face thereof.

As above mentioned, the plate 23 is mounted on the support 29 which may be formed of wood or any other suitable material secured to the bath tub. This support may be eliminated if desired and the support for the spindle may be attached underneath the usual flange formed on the standard type of tub. The support 29 is provided with a slotted opening in line with and similar to that formed in the plate 23 and is also provided with openings adapted to receive the bolts 28a of plate 23.

The ends of bolts 28a extend through plate 30 and are provided with nuts 31 which when tightened upon bolts 28a secure plates 23, support 29 and plate 30 together.

The plate 30 is provided with openings therein which are adapted to receive the bolts 32 (see Fig. 3). The bolts 32 extend downwardly through openings in plates 33 and 34, and have their lower ends secured by nuts 35. The plate 33 is spaced from plate 30 by means of the collars 36 (seeFig. 3) through which the bolts 32 pass. The plate 33 is also provided with a slotted opening in line with and similar to the openings in plate 23, support 29 and plate 30. Plate 33 is spaced from plate 34 by the hollow rods 37.

To keep plates 30, 33 and 34 from shifting their positions when they are in assembled relation with each other and so as to insure that spindle 18 will properly move in the slots provided in said plates, there is provided the tapered steady pins or dowel pins 46 which are fixedly secured in reamed holes in the said plates 30, 33 and 34. The said dowel pins 46 are positioned between the hollow rods 37 as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4. (In Figure 4, the pin 46 is indicated in dotted lines.)

Secured to the pin-dle 13 by pin 38a and po- 'sitioned between the plates 30 and 33 is the disk 38b. The disk 3% is adapted to freely slide between the plates 30 and 33 when the spindle 13 is moved in the slots provided in plates 23, 30 and 33.

The plate 34 is provided with openings therein which receive the connecting ends 38 and 39 of rods 40 and 41. The connecting ends 38 and 39 are provided with a slot 42 (see Figure 4). The lower ends 45 of rods 40 and 41 are formed with a reduced square end 43 and 44 which are adapted to fit in the square end of the plugs of valves 15 and 1'? forming part of the T connection assembly, and which control the inflow and outflow of water to the tub.

In Figure 5 the spindle 13 is shown as posi tioned in the middle of slot 24, that is, said spindle is shown in neutral position in said slot and the lower end 22 thereof is thus in the po sition as indicated in Figure 3. If it is desired to have water supplied to the tub, the handle- 20 is moved so that the spindle is slid into the enlarged circular opening 25 of the slot. This causes the reduced end 22 of the spindle to be positioned in the slot 42 of the connecting end 38 of the rod 40. Then, if the user or" the tub desires hot water supplied thereto the handle 20 is turned to the side of opening 25 which is marked Hot and the reduced end 43 of rod 40 turns the valve so that the hot water supply will be allowed to enter the T connection 10 and thus into the tub through openings 5 in the supply and discharge connection. If cold water is to be supplied to the tub the handle 20 is turned in the opposite direction to the part of opening marked Cold and the reduced end 43 of rod 40 turns the valve so that only the cold water supply will be allowed to flow into the tub.

After sufficient amount of water has been supplied to the tub the handle of the spindle is turned to neutral position which closes the water supply valve and the said spindle is then slid into the neutral position as shown in Figures 3 and 5.

t is to be understood that when the spindle 18 is in its neutral position with respect to the connecting ends 38 and 39 of rods 40 and 41 the valves controlling the water supply and the Water discharge or waste are in closed position and it is only when said rods 40 and 41 are turned by spindle 13 that said valves are caused to be opened.

If it is desired to drain the water from the tub the spindle 18 is moved by the handle 20 in the slot until it is positioned in the enlarged opening 24 and marked Waste in Figure 5, and then when the handle is rotated the valve 17 controlling the discharge of the water is opened and the water in the tub is allowed to drain through the openings 5 in the supply and discharge connections and thence on through the T connection to the waste pipe 12. When the valve 17 is open, as above explained, the valve controlling the water inlet is closed.

It will be seen from the above description that there is provided a simple and efficient bath tub fixture which is adapted to be fitted to any type of tub and which is so constructed and arranged that the only part thereof which is on the inside of the tub is the slightly projecting 1 supply and discharge connection provided with the rounded top 3, and which is positioned in the bottom of the tub.

By this novel arrangement of the parts the water can be supplied to the tub and emptied 1 therefrom more rapidly than is the case with the usual bath tub fixture because larger pipes for inflow and outflow can be employed. Furthermore, there is only one operating means required to regulate the inflow of either the hot 1 or cold water or to cause the discharge of the water from the tub. Also, due to the fact that the waste pipe is shut ofi from communication with the tub during the time water is being supplied thereto, there is no chance of sewage 1 gas entering the tub through said waste pipe.

A further advantage of the above described construction is that it eliminates the use of a removable stopper to retain the water in the tub after it has been filled. 1

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a bath tub having an opening therein, of a water inlet, and discharge connection mounted in said opening, a pipe connection communicating with said water inlet and discharge connection and having a branch connected to a waste pipe. and a branch' connected to a hot and cold water supply, valves positioned in said branches for controlling thel flow of water therethrough, and means located outside of the tub for independently operating said valves so that when one of said valves is in open position the other valve will be maintained in closed position.

2. The combination with a bath tub having an opening therein, of a water inlet and discharge connection mounted in said opening and so constructed that only the inlet and discharge openings thereof protrude through said opening, a pipe connection secured to said water inlet and discharge connection and communicating with a waste pipe, said pipe connection having a branch pipe connected to a hot and cold water supply, means in said pipe connection and said branch pipe for controlling the flow of water therethrough and means located adjacent to the tub for so operating the said controlling means that when water is to be supplied to the tub through said branch pipe the outflow of Water through the waste pipe is prevented, and when water is to be discharged from the tub through the waste pipe the water supply through said branch pipe may be shut off, and when water is supplied to the tub and is tobe retained therein both of the controlling means in said branch pipe and in said pipe connection may be maintained in closed position.

3. In combination with a bath tub, a fixture for permitting the entry and discharge of water to and from the tub including a connection mounted in an opening in said tub having common water inlet and discharge openings therein, a pipe connection communicating with said water inlet and discharge connection and provided With Water inlet and outlet branches, means mounted in said branches for controlling the inflow and outflow of water therethrough, and means for simultaneously controlling the operation of said controlling means in said branches.

4. The combination With a bath tub having an opening therein, of a common water inlet and discharge fixture mounted in said opening, a waste pipe and a water supply pipe communicating with said fixture valves for controlling the flow of water from and to said tub through said fixture, means for controlling the operation of said valves, said means comprising a spindle slidably mounted in a support secured to said tub and provided with a reduced square shaped lower end, a pair of rods having slotted upper end portions rotatively mounted in said support and positioned so that the lower end of said spindle may be engaged in said slots and having lower end portions adapted to operate the valves controlling the fiow of water from and to the tub through said fixture, and means on the upper end of said spindle for slidably moving the same so that its lower end will become engaged in either of said slotted end portions of said rods and for rotating the said spindle when its lower end is engaged in either of said slots so as to open or close said valves.

5. The combination with a bath tub having an opening therein, of a common water inlet and discharge fixture mounted in said opening so that only the supply and discharge openings. therein protrude inside of the tub, a pipe connection secured to said fixture having a branch communicating with a waste pipe and a branch of smaller diameter communicating with a hot and cold water supply, valves mounted in said branch pipes for controlling the flow of water therethrough, means for controlling the operation of said valves comprising a support secured to said tub and having a slot therein with enlarged ends, a spindle mounted in said support so as to have a sliding engagement in said slot, a pair of rods having slotted upper end portions rotatively mounted in said support and positioned so that the lower end of said spindle may be engaged in said slots and having lower end portions adapted to operate the valves controlling the flow of water from and to said tub through said fixture, and means on the upper end of said spindle for slidably moving the same in said slot of said support so that its lower end may become engaged in either of the slotted ends of said rods and so it can rotate said rods when it is positioned in the enlarged ends of said slots to open or close said valves.

6. The combination with a bath tub having an opening in the base thereof, of a common water inlet and discharge fixture fixedly mounted in said opening and having inlet and outlet openings protruding slightly above the base of the tub and a cap projecting over said openings, a pipe connection comprising a T having one branch thereof secured to and communicating with said water inlet and discharge fixture and having another branch communicating with a waste pipe, a branch pipe of smaller diameter communicating with said T pipe connection and with a water supply pipe, a valve in said branch pipe for controlling the supply of water therethrough, a Valve in the branch of the T pipe connection, which communicates with the waste pipe, for controlling the discharge of Water therethrough, mechanism positioned outside of the tub for independently controlling the operation of said valves which comprises a spindle mounted in a support so as to have a sliding movement With respect thereto, means rotatively mounted in said support for operating said valves, and means for slidably moving said spindle in said support so as to operate said valve operating means.

7. The combination with a bath tub having an opening therein, of a common water inlet and discharge fixture mounted in said opening, a pipe connection secured to said fixture and communicating with a waste pipe, a branch pipe secured to said pipe connection and communicating with a water supply, valves in said pipe connection for controlling the flow of Water to the tub from said water supply and from said tub to the waste pipe, means positioned adjacent the tub for controlling the operation of said valves said means including a support, means rotatably mounted in said support for opening and closing said valves, means slidably mounted in said support for independently rotating said valve and operating means so that said valves may be opened and closed.

MICHAEL P. DOYLE. 

